Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
A unique hotel offering first-class experiences in the best location in the centre of Helsinki. The stylish interior and the classic style of the beautiful Art Nouveau building, combined with the hotel’s relaxed atmosphere, guarantee a great stay.
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Scandic Grand Central Helsinki garners praise for its prime location next to the train station and its spotlessly clean accommodations with fresh linens, as noted by numerous guests. While the rooms are generally found to be spacious and the hotel's design stylish, some guests have faced issues with noise, ventilation, and housekeeping.
The service quality varies, with some staff providing attentive assistance and others seeming disorganized. Despite these inconsistencies, many visitors feel the hotel offers good value, especially with its tranquil atmosphere and hearty breakfast options.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Stylish
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Noise level
Quiet
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Stayed here for the first part of a trip to Finland from the U.S. with my wife in February 2025. The hotel is enormous, so it may take you a while to get to/from the lobby or front entrance, depending on where your room is located. That said, the hotel is ideally located next to the main train station in the city, which makes it an ideal landmark and easy to get to/from other points of the city.
I did sauna once in the hotel's basement, and it was a very pleasant experience. I was the only person down there at the time. I would recommend making use of the amenities to the best of your ability. I would recommend this hotel if you are new to the city.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Get a room close to the lobby.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is on a very important location in the city center, adjoining the railway station, which was convinient since we arrived an left by train. I have found that Scandoc hotels have managed to maintain a certain quality in all their rooms. The hotel was the headquarters of the Finnish railway company VR, later renovated into a hotel.
We had the Superior Plus room in the fourth floor (room 4001), and it offered a really nice view into the garden. The room itself was really nice and provided a good amount of space to be. There were problems with the Chromecast, which turned out not to work. Also the toilet seat cover was disfunctional. Only little things that were problems. The amenities were good, described in more detail next.
There were many teas, milk, sugar and a pot for boiling water. The minibar list is as a photo for those who are interested. There was also an interesting self-guided tour of the hotel, which I found fascinating. In the bathroom there was handwash and lotion, and in the shower there was bodywash, shampoo, and conditioner.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. We went to breakfast a little late (it’s only until 9:30), but they let us eat and drink in peace. The breakfast was mediocre, pretty much the same as in any other hotel.
The hotel was overall quite good. It had a nice atmosphere to it. Strongly recommend it. It’s close to many interesting places, such as the art museums Ateneum and Kiasma, shopping malls, metros, buses and trams, and of course the railway station. The tracks are visible from some rooms.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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I recently stayed at this charming hotel located a stone's throw from Helsinki Central Station. The location is really perfect for those arriving in the city by train or for those who want easy access to the main points of interest. The rooms are spacious, clean and tastefully decorated, offering everything you need for a comfortable stay.
The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, always ready to assist guests with a smile. The breakfast offered is varied and plentiful, with a selection of typical products that represent a great charge to start the day.
The only small drawback I found concerns the time of checkout: the elevator to overcome the obstacle of the access steps was currently out of order which made it a bit uncomfortable to carry a heavy suitcase, intended for boarding in the hold. If it wasn't for the sadness of leaving Helsinki the fact probably wouldn't even have been remembered for this impeccable stay.
Overall, I highly recommend this hotel for its excellent location and quality of service.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Scandic Grand Hotel in Helsinki, has a strategic location, located in the train terminal that seems to be part of the terminal itself. It is a great hotel with a lot of very spacious rooms. The staff at the reception are very friendly and attentive and allow you to leave your bags when we have to go to another city and return to Helsinki. One detail, however, is very important that we hope it is taken into account: placing phones in the rooms, because it is a must for customers to be able to call reception in case of need or emergency or even receive calls from outside.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Es un hotel relativamente caro, pero tiene una excelente ubicaciĂłn, pero los cuartos no tienen...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
At check in there was a slight problem as I had made separate bookings (3 nights for 2 promotion + 1 separate night) for a superior room. System had not combined these and so because the hotel was full we would have to change rooms. However the very helpful young lady on reception said she would upgrade us to a suite, asked if I liked sauna, and promptly made it a suite with sauna! Nice surprise.
The room was very spacious and comfortable, plenty of room for luggage etc.
My wife found the room to be very dusty, but after informing reception in the morning, when we returned from shopping the room had been very satisfactorily cleaned.
Breakfast was substantial and varied as usual, busy, but a table can always be found. Dishes are replenished without delay.
. G
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â seniors like us with heavy cases, use the ramp to the left of the main entrance and ring the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This Grand Central Hotel is truly amazing. An immaculate renovation of an Eliel Saarinen designed building which was previously the offices of the Finnish Rail company. Attached to the railway station the location is in the very centre of Helsinki but it is very quiet and peaceful. The historic details have been faithfully retained and compliment a very stylish hotel. Beds are very, very comfortable, rooms are large, breakfast is so tasty. There are lots of excellent hotels in Helsinki but the Grand Central is just spectacular
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Date of stay: February 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the best Scandic hotel we have stayed in. The hotels in this chain are usually nothing to write home about(except negative things), but the Grand Central is. The design and finishings are very boutique’ish. We had a superior room, and it was very nice, with tall ceilings. The only thing I really dislike in hotel rooms, are bathtubs… A nice, big shower is so much more luxurious, safer(easy to stumble in/out of the tub) and better for the environment(less spill of water), so I would really have liked a shower in the room. The breakfast room was actually several rooms, and the buffet was in a separate room. Very nice breakfast, and good lay out of everything, and good service from the breakfast staff. Would stay again for sure!
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is located in the center of Helsinki within a historic building: A beautiful Art Nouveau edifice created by Eliel Saarinen in 1909 and currently protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency. Also, the hotel building is structurally a part of the Helsinki Central Station.
The hotel has almost 500 rooms. Few of these rooms are placed in front of the train tracks and under the glass canopy covering the station. Our room was one of those. The room has no sound proofing at all, and the windows are old and have thin glasses. You hear everything within the room. Trains arriving and leaving. Train engines idling. And of course, you hear the announcements. From early morning to late night, also during weekends.
We did not have a good rest. Next morning, the hotel reception told us that yes, they know that these rooms are noisy, they are sorry about it, and that we could have contacted them before.
So this is it: Scandic Grand Central Helsinki has decided to keep offering some subpar rooms with a severe and permanent noise problem. These are advertised as regular rooms, and they are assigned to guests without any warning or discussion. It is not an occasional, unexpected problem. This is how this hotel operates.
I guess you can always request a room that is not next to the train tracks. But, why chance it? If the hotel is full they cannot accommodate such request. I recommend to stay in another hotel. There are plenty of good hotels in the center of Helsinki, including four different Scandic hotels at a walking distance from this one.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grand Central Helsinki Reception, Guest Services / Front Office at Scandic Grand Central Helsinki
Responded Jul 1, 2024
Thank you for staying with us, and for the review. I’m really sorry to hear that you couldn’t get a proper good night’s sleep in our hotel. Your room was located on the second floor next to the railway tracks. We know that occasionally some of our guests hear announcements and other noise from the trains, but compared to the fact how occasionally we get this kind of feedback, it must not affect all of our guests. I am not saying this to question your experience, but to explain why we keep using these rooms normally. We have had many happy guests staying in these rooms. Most of the time we are able to accommodate most of our guests requests, also concerning the location of the room. We do our very best to offer a good rest for all of our wonderful gests. Wish you all the best, Taija Pehkonen Hotel Manager
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Located next to Helsinki's central train station and 10-15 walk to the Helsinki cathedral and other sights. We arrived late from Rovaineimi and had an early check out for our flight out. It really helped that there was a short cut to the train station at the back of the hotel, and a breakfast box could be requested. The check in and check out process was efficient and the staff who welcomed us also gave us a map to go on a self guided tour of the Art Nouveau hotel. I loved the self guided tour and the breakfast options offered. We had a lovely room with comfortable beds and good facilities. Would definitely return here on my next visit to Helsinki.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed only one night at the end of May, when traveling to the US. We had high hopes, because many people had told us how nice this hotel is. The superior room was very nice and spacious with a sofa and an armchair. The room was facing the yard, so we couldn’t hear any noise from outside. The bed was excellent and wide with good pillows. Breakfast was ordinary Finnish: bread, toast, porridge, fruit, eggs and warm dishes. And of course that berry mix, which you can find in every hotel in Finland. The breakfast room is actually several rooms, and you can easily get lost with your plate. The only thing that was under all expectations, was the young man behind the reception desk. Didn’t welcome us, just asked me if I would like to have a voucher to the bar or points to my Scandic account. Then I paid the bill and he handed me the room keycards and showed us, where to go. That’s all. Maybe he was just started working at the hotel, and didn’t know how to talk to customers. He was arrogant and treated me like “a cheap sausage”. That really ruined my experience of the hotel. I am so glad that we booked another hotel when coming back from our trip.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grand Central Helsinki Reception, Guest Services / Front Office at Scandic Grand Central Helsinki
Responded Jul 1, 2024
Dear Jaana, thank you for staying with us, and for sharing your experience. I'm really sorry that you got this kind of impression of us during the check in. We have several new employees for the summer, but I can not think that any of our team members would treat a guest in arrogant way in purpose. I'm sure it was just because he wasn't feeling confident enough about the situation. I can assure you that our new and more experienced reception team members are very service oriented and helpful. But I thank you for mentioning about this, it is an important reminder to us that every encounter with our guests is very important, and our new employees might need more support in the beginning. Happy to hear the rest of your stay was pleasant. Hope we may have another chance with you some day to prove we can welcome you in a better way. Best regards, Taija Pehkonen Hotel Manager
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Hello,
thank you for your question! Our "classic king" room is situated in the original side of the building, whereas the "standard king" is in the part of the building that has been constructed afterwards. The entire hotel was renovated at the same time, so all of the rooms are just as new, but the only difference is which part of the hotel they are situated in.
Best regards,
Front Desk
There are more places to choose from in the Helsinki area.
PRICE RANGE
C$214 - C$285 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
FinlandUusimaaHelsinkiVironniemi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
1
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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